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Post No Bens

For years, Ben Kerr was a staple at Yonge and Bloor. And for a little while longer, he is again.

Kerr—a regular mayoral candidate, winner of NOW‘s Best Local Busker award, promoter of the virtues of cayenne pepper, and wearer of excellent t-shirts—made the northeast corner of the intersection his own for well over a dozen years, singing with a karaoke machine or a guitar, until he died at his Jones Avenue home in June 2005. Earlier this year, the city paid tribute by naming a laneway near Kerr’s former house after him, but some obliging stencillist (maybe, just maybe, the same person doing famous Bills by “Post No Bills” signs) has decided to honour Kerr much nearer to the site that made him famous.

Kerr now watches the intersection from the southeast corner, on the gray walls that surround the future home of 1 Bloor, the kind of too-tall condo that Kerr once told NOW “cuts off the sunshine.” But not yet.

Roll over the photo above to see the stencil closer.

Photos by Michael Chrisman/Torontoist.

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Comments

  • http://null Optimuscrime Toronto

    Amazing! I loved Ben and his magical karaoke machine.

  • http://undefined Rogeroger2000

    Ben was a nice guy. The gesture is nice, but…
    That stencil could have been done much better.
    It looks more like Ronald McDonald.

  • http://null MattAlexander

    I read “Post no Bens”, the first line of this post and didn’t know exactly who was being written about, but when I rolled over the picture and saw the close-up I knew exactly who it was.
    Doesn’t look like Ronald McDonald at all. Looks like an actual person I recognize from walking away from my television.

  • http://null rek

    Taggers have destroyed another construction hoarding!